American Book Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 11 (1990) Winner
-
Edition 31 (2010) Winner
Sesshu Foster
セッシュ・フォスター
Sesshu Foster
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- East Los Angeles (City Terrace), California
Career
- Occupations
- poet, novelist, teacher, firefighter (seasonal), editor
- Active Years
- 1980-2025
- Affiliations
- California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), University of Iowa, University of California, Santa Cruz, Jack Kerouac School (Summer Writing Program), California State University, Los Angeles (residence), Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School
- Influenced By
- Jack Kerouac, Herman Melville, Chicano community organizing and political artmaking
- Influenced
- younger Los Angeles poets and community poets, writers of postcard-poems and experimental poetry
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Writers' Workshop, University of Iowa | — | — | MFA | — | United States |
Iowa Writers' Workshop, University of Iowa
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Holds an MFA; later taught at the workshop and other institutions
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Firecracker Award | City of the Future | — | Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) | winner |
| 2010 | American Book Award | World Ball Notebook | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
| 2009 | Asian American Literary Award (Poetry) | World Ball Notebook | Poetry | Asian American Literary Awards | winner |
| 2005 | Believer Book Award | Atomik Aztex | — | The Believer | winner |
| 1990 | American Book Award | Invocation LA: Urban Multicultural Poetry (editor) | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
| — | PEN Center West Poetry Prize | City Terrace Field Manual | — | PEN Center West | finalist |
| — | Paterson Poetry Prize | City Terrace Field Manual | — | The Poetry Center at William Paterson University | finalist |
Firecracker Award
2019
Work:
City of the Future
Organization:
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)
Result:
winner
American Book Award
2010
Work:
World Ball Notebook
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
Asian American Literary Award (Poetry)
2009
Work:
World Ball Notebook
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Asian American Literary Awards
Result:
winner
Believer Book Award
2005
Work:
Atomik Aztex
Organization:
The Believer
Result:
winner
American Book Award
1990
Work:
Invocation LA: Urban Multicultural Poetry (editor)
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
PEN Center West Poetry Prize
Work:
City Terrace Field Manual
Organization:
PEN Center West
Result:
finalist
Paterson Poetry Prize
Work:
City Terrace Field Manual
Organization:
The Poetry Center at William Paterson University
Result:
finalist
Awards & Nominations
Asian American Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (2009) Winner
Works
Major Works
Atomik Aztex
2005 experimental novel / speculative fictionAn experimental, genre-mixing novel set in Los Angeles that blends speculative elements with cultural and political themes.
city liferace and identityspeculative futures
World Ball Notebook
2009 poetry / experimental poetryA collection of experimental poems using the conceit of 'the game' to weave together political, global, and personal perspectives.
politicsglobalizationindividual and community
City Terrace Field Manual
1996 poetry / prose poemsA field-manual-like collection rooted in life and memory in City Terrace, East Los Angeles, addressing community and absences of memory.
memorycommunityurban life
City of the Future
2018 poetry / experimental poetryAn experimental collection employing postcard-poems and fragments, where future, city, and personal memory intersect.
futurememoryfragmentation
ELADATL: A History of the East Los Angeles Dirigible Air Transport Lines
2021 speculative fiction / experimental novelA pseudo-historical work about a fictional dirigible transport line in East Los Angeles, intersecting local history and imaginative fiction.
local historyimaginationcommunity
Angry Days
1987 poetryAn early collection of poems showing social and political sensibilities in his early work.
politicsangeryouth culture
Bibliography
- Angry Days (1987)
- Akrilica (translation/co-translation, 1989)
- City Terrace Field Manual (1996)
- Atomik Aztex (2005)
- American Loneliness: Selected Poems (2006)
- World Ball Notebook (2009)
- City of the Future (2018)
- ELADATL: A History of the East Los Angeles Dirigible Air Transport Lines (2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- experimentalhybrid formsprose-poem techniquesspeculative fiction elements
- Recurring Motifs
- the city (especially Los Angeles)memory and absencerace and identitycommunity and collective experiencepostcards / fragmentary texts
Legacy
A writer rooted in East Los Angeles who has expressed community, race, and urban concerns through experimental poetry and novels. He is recognized in regional literature and experimental poetry and has influenced younger poets and community-based poetic movements.
In Popular Culture
- Reference point in Los Angeles literary and community activity
Quotes
-
Postcard poems are a form of diary or journaling — and also a way of saying 'hi' to people from far.
Source: interview / Kaya Press profile
Trivia
- Worked as a seasonal wildfire firefighter in Colorado and Wyoming when young.
- Has described having worked as a strip-club bouncer in his youth.
- Prolific writer of postcard-poems; began as a child exchanging letters with his father.
- Collaborates with his wife, Dolores Bravo, in teaching and poetic work.